Azuka Theatre to Continue 2015-16 Season with World Premiere of LOCAL GIRLS

Azuka Theatre continues its 16th season with its 10th World Premiere by a local playwright. Emma Goidel's Local Girls is a scream rock fantasia about searching for big-time glory in a small-time town. The play runs February 24-March 13. It opens Saturday, February 27 at 7 p.m. All performances take place in the Proscenium Theatre at The Drake, 1512 Spruce Street. Tickets are available online at www.azukatheatre.org or by phone at (215) 563-1100.

Local Girls is a play with music in the vein of Azuka's Pookie Goes Grenading (2012). Written by Goidel, a member of the Philadelphia playwriting consortium, Orbiter3, the play introduces audiences to Diskit (Anna Zaida Szapiro), a high school chemistry genius in desperate need of friends who aren't her dad, and Riley (Mary Tuomanen), the high school burnout who needs a new screamer for her metal band. The Zombie Fuel Energy Drink Wreak Ruckus Battle of the Bands could transform them both from high school losers into rock gods, but will the contest be enough to get them out of Tucker, Georgia?

Allison Heishman, Azuka's Associate Artistic Director, is directing this World Premiere. Anna Zaida Szapiro, returning to Azuka after playing the lead in Tigers Be Still (2014), plays Diskit. Mary Tuomanen plays Riley in her first appearance at Azuka after playing Pookie in Pookie Goes Grenading. Tabitha Allen was last at Azuka as Jenny June in Failure: A Love Story. Sam Henderson makes his first appearance at Azuka playing Francis, and Jahzeer Terrell makes his Azuka debut as Roe.

Lindsey Mayer (Failure: A Love Story) is the Scenic Designer. Andrew J. Cowles is the Lighting Designer. Jamie Grace-Duff (Hazard County) is the Costume Designer. Tony Award-winning Robert Kaplowitz (Hope Street and Other Lonely Places) is creating Original Music and is Sound Designer. Avista Custom Theatrical, LLC is handling Props. Lauren Tracy is the Stage Manager. Sally Ollove is the Dramaturg.

"We are so lucky to be able to bring our audiences this hilarious and heart-filled new play by Emma Goidel. Emma is one of Philadelphia's fastest rising stars, her work is smart and earnest, and Local Girls is absolutely one of the funniest plays I've read. Anna, Mary and Tabitha are three of my favorite actresses and this entire ensemble of actor/musicians have already added so much to this play in its developmental process. I couldn't think of a more perfect group to kick-off Azuka's residency at The Drake!"

Goidel is a founding member of critically acclaimed producing playwrights collective Orbiter 3 and a member of the Ars Nova Play Group. Her plays include A Knee That Can Bend (Orbiter 3, 2015), The Gap (development: Labyrinth Theater Company & InterAct Theatre Company), and We Can All Agree To Pretend This Never Happened (Ensemble Studio Theatre, Òran Mór in Scotland, Tiny Dynamite/InterAct). She co-created the 2014 FringeArts Festival hit Safe Space with Apocalypse Club, a collaboration with playwrights Emily Acker and Douglas Williams and director Maura Krause. Emma was a 2014-2015 Writing Fellow at The Playwrights Realm, a 2013-2015 Core Playwright at InterAct Theatre Company, a 2013-2014 Core Apprentice at the Playwrights' Center, a 2012-2015 member of the Philadelphia Foundry, and the 2012 Dasha Epstein Playwriting Fellowship at New York Stage & Film/Powerhouse Theater.

She is a 2015 Princess Grace Award Finalist, two-time Arnold L. Weissberger Award nominee, winner of the New South Young Playwrights Competition, NNPN Smith Prize nominee, and semi-finalist for the O'Neill Playwrights Conference. She was included in the Kilroy List 2015 Honorable Mentions: the top 32% of plays by women recommended by artistic leaders as among "the best work they had encountered in the past year." Emma's short plays have been presented at Philadelphia Theater Company, Horizon Theater (Atlanta), SIT: Dakar, and UPenn. She received a BA with Honors in Theatre from Barnard College in 2012.

Local Girls was developed by The Playwrights Realm (Katherine Kovner, Artistic Director). The Production Sponsors are Robin & Patrick Tracy. Russet and Two Roads Brewing Company are the Opening Night Sponsors.